Strange Distant Stars
by kikos ai
Summary: Ten things that did not happen to Bridge Carson: a collection of AU short stories focused on the SPD green ranger. Chapter 4:AU of the episode Missing. The Troobian Empire takes an interest in a defenseless and injured Bridge.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: "**Power Rangers Space Patrol Delta", "Bridge Carson" and other such figures are the property of people who are hundred times more successful-thus more miserable-than I will ever be._

_**A/N:**This fic is/will be a collection of ten one shot Alternate Universe (what could have happened but didn't) stories focused on Bridge (but basically everyone makes a solid appearance at some point). It was inspired by a project in the __West Wing fandom called **The 100 Things That Never Happened on the West Wing Project. **This means that each chapter is a new story unrelated to the previous chapter. _

_**Warning**: I am slash friendly therefore there will be some slash in later chapters (3/10 is what I'm calculating). Because each chapter is a separate story, each slash chapter will be labeled and can be skipped. It also goes to say there will be some het chapters (yes, that means Z/Bridge and some surprises…will that keep you reading?). This first one is gen with liberal amounts of het/slash shout outs. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 1. "(Alternate) Beginnings"**

**I **

In one of the more secluded back alleys in Newtech City, a loud shuffling noise broke the quiet early afternoon air. The shuffling noise increased as Bridge Carson riffled through a slightly crushed cardboard box full of green and blue tube socks, pausing occasionally to hold up a pair up for a closer inspection.

The majority of the socks were in the most hideous shade of blue, as far as Bridge was concerned. They were much less of a sky blue and more the color of old faded blue, a grayish tone that gave the socks the appearance of peeling paint chips about to be discarded to the wind.

'A Billboard blue', Bridge thought, 'like the one on 26th and 3rd.'

At any rate, the ugly blue and acceptably green ('less of a grass green and more of… a folksy art green') socks were made of cotton and were unfortunately thin- too thin for anyone who was spending a winter's night out in Newtech.

'We'll have to double', Bridge concluded with a slight frown wrinkling his nose.

'Maybe tell everyone to cover up the billboard blue socks with the folksy green socks, 'cause green's a better color. More like-'

"Bridge! Git off your butt!" A voice echoed from somewhere behind Bridge, breaking his train of thought.

"I need that last box!"

"R..right…coming!" Bridge yelled, as he shoved the socks back into their not-quite-square box while simultaneously jostling it into a firm carrying position in his arms.

Bridge shuffled over to the source of the impatient voice-a crowd of assorted aliens and humans all chattering eagerly in a circle around more brown cardboard boxes. As he drew close, a few of the aliens parted to form a path to the interior of the circle and to the petite figure standing with the boxes at its center. Bridge's approach to this figure shifted the worried frown from earlier into a softer smile.

"I got socks," he announced simply.

"Oh! Gimme!" Sydney Drew squealed as she grabbed the box from Bridge's arms.

She held it aloft like she was the recipient of an unexpected prize; meanwhile the crowd of aliens and humans began to narrow the circle further. Thin arms and skinny hands began to paw at Syd's upheld box.

"Just wait a minute, please. Line up- yes, like that, Rotolan, there's plenty in this box for everyone.

"Wait a minute, quit grabbing-this was an especially hard haul, Kysh, and I'd appreciate some respect and that hand moved from my back! Thank you! Here you go…"

Bridge shifted nervously as he felt hands against his body moving past him towards Syd.

"Ahh, Syd…I think, ah…well, the socks are a bit…thin."

Bridge winced as a particularly eager woman chose that moment to step on his toes.

"Got it Bridge! Alright, you heard the man, two pairs for one pair of feet, no exceptions! No pushing, take what you get!"

"And..ah.. the blue, its ah…well…blue's a nice color usually-"

"Kysh! Socks aren't food! Gimme those!"

"And well…I think the green…ah Syd…the green-"

"Not now, Bridgey, we're almost done!"

"But..I..oof!" Bridge stopped mid sentence as a bulky Fernovan male butted up against Bridge to knock him off balance.

The sheer number of bodies pushing against him was also unnerving-Bridge caught a wisp of color from the Fernovan and the older woman next to him-grey yellow, with tingles of white. There were also brownish spots that hovered above Bridge's face, making him want to pull away, further back into the alley.

"I guess…no one else minds colors," Bridge murmured to himself, as he attempted to backpedal out of the crowd.

In front of him, Syd managed to quickly and efficiently hand out all of the socks in the box and was now explaining to Kysh what had made this morning's run unusually difficult. Syd's voice rose in pitch as she excitedly narrated her narrow escape from two upper division SPD cadets-

"You could tell they were cadets, because they were so serious! I thought the girl was going to shoot me in the eyes for a moment!" Syd cackled.

"But even a cadet can't hurt a fist of iron!" Syd raised her hand in emphasis.

Bridge shook his head at Syd's enthusiasm-and winced when the movement produced an all too familiar headache. The morning's near arrest by the two SPD cadets had certainly been exciting-they had wiped the floor with SPD, outnumbering and outmaneuvering them-but the event had left Bridge with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. The two cadets had been strangely, impossibly, familiar to him.

'Not like that deja-whatever,' Bridge thought as he walked forward.

More like something out of a reoccurring dream, a shadow that occurred only when the light hit at a distant angle, only not quite that. Not quite….'

"Not quite what, Bridge?"

A loud voice suddenly boomed above Bridge, snapping the confused boy out of his train of thought. Bridge winced again, the sudden noise a booming sensation in his mind.

"Sky!" Bridge murmured. "You scared me."

"Sorry," the unreadable face of Sky Tate said from a spot directly in front of Bridge. The older boy was leaning against a brick building, with a slight smirk on his face and a lit cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Was I talking out loud again?" Bridge puzzled aloud. Sky nodded.

"Oh."

Thanks to Sky, the train of thought Bridge had been pondering before was gone, scattered to the wind. Bridge sighed as his joined his friend in holding up the wall behind them.

Noting the despondent sound from his friend, Sky shifted in his slouched position to offer Bridge an unlit cig from the back of his jean pocket. Bridge plucked the offering from Sky's hand and pull out a lighter from his own pocket. Seconds later two tiny plums of smoke wafted upwards, spiraling into the early afternoon air.

For a while, the two friends were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Soft laughter and animated chattering drifted past the two boys. Occasionally Bridge picked up Syd's giggling from the rest of the indistinguishable noise, the bright center of everyone's attention. Yet despite the relaxed atmosphere of the group behind them, Bridge could read an underlining tension in the air, psychic energy and nicotine smoke streaming forth from the silent form beside him.

Bridge frowned; Sky was upset about…something. His agitation came off of him in soft waves of color that battered Bridge's already overwhelmed mind.

Sky's moodiness only added to Bridge's raging headache; nevertheless he stood impatiently waiting for the expected outburst. He was soon rewarded when Sky abruptly shifted up against the wall, so that he nearly had his full height above Bridge's slouching form.

"I'm tired of playing Robin Hood,"

Sky suddenly stated, flicking the ash of his cig as if in emphasis. Bridge said nothing but took a long drag on his cigarette, letting the smoke sit in his chest for several seconds before letting it slowly float upwards out his nose.

This was an old argument of Sky's-it was best to let him talk it out on his own.

"Bridge."

Well, sometimes. 'Damn.'

Bridge thought for a moment, mentally reviewing the day's earlier events in a jumble of flashing images.

Two (impossibly) familiar faces and flashes of red and gold flew before his mind's eye. A male cadet in a dark drab uniform with an arrogant grin and a swagger, along with a female cadet, pretty eyes and a determined frown.

"Freeze! SPD!" Wanted. For what?

A good haul taken, donated to the poor; expensive goods 'lifted' from their owners.

A showdown; two on three, SPD vs the infamous "Parkington Market Thieves".

Syd always liked the name the local vendors had given them. It sounded "professional" and important-"_like important criminals_" Sky had once snarled at Syd. Well that seemed all too true now. But what else…

Technical jargon about lawbreaking. Unimpressive posturing. Fighting. Movements that were already a blur in his memory. The five of them. Victory? Too confused.

The recollection was too much for Bridge and he mentally groaned. He had a strong urge to sit down and hold his head between his knees. To Bridge's right, Sky glared with a mixture of impatience and concern. Finally Bridge blurted out the loudest thought running through his head.

"The two SPD. They were….good. Really good."

Sky said nothing to this, staring at some indistinguishable spot on the wall in front of him.

"Good, I mean, not just good as in fighting or like good as a cadet. The boy we fought together? I really liked his dreads and he seemed nice, aside from the trying to arrest us part.

But he was a good fighter, I liked his heel kick thingy, it was amazing! He was tough. Real tough."

Bridge paused as he recalled how the strange SPD cadet had charged at him and Sky, moving to tackle Bridge before Sky jumped in front of him with a forcefield. That had certainty surprised the cadet, but he had recovered and had sent down a series of blows that had left Bridge with a bunch of welts certain to become bruises later.

Bridge remembered Syd's pain filled cries as she took a few blows from the female SPD officer-and also Syd's triumphant yell as she managed to pitch the cadet off of a stairwell into a marketplace tent.

Bridge had panicked when he saw the pretty cadet fall to the floor-luckily the tent sufficiently broke the young woman's fall. Still-

"That fight was scary. I didn't want to fight them. It seemed…it was…"

Bridge angrily sucked on his cigarette in frustration. What was wrong about the fight? Bridge's frustrated gaze fell downward to his gloved hands, his right hand unconsciously fiddling with a gapping hole in the knitted nylon of his left one.

' Huh.' Bridge didn't recall the hole being that big before. Maybe that was why he was picking up on colors more vividly today.

Bridge mentally sighed to himself as he attempted to bring his wandering thoughts back into order. It was what?

"It was just wrong."

Sky snorted in response but remained silent, glaring into the distance. Bridge wasn't sure Sky was listening anymore.

"Sky, did you notice that the boy SPD officer…cadet…person….when we rushed at him…"

Bridge paused again, remembering how the cadet had thrown himself at the wall and somehow, inexplicably disappeared, only to reappear after Bridge had crashed into the place where he had been.

"He did something to himself, to the wall…do you think he's….different? Like u-"

"What I think," Sky interrupted,

"Is that we nearly got ourselves arrested by a two wannabe hotshot Spacers-who seemed to be specifically looking for us, and not any other two-bit criminal in Parkington."

The older boy abruptly launched from his position against the wall to begin pacing in the space directly in front of Bridge, using the full momentum of his body to emphasize his words.

"Those two SPD jerks knew exactly where to find us this morning! We have to stop playing this hero bullshit, Bridge, before one of us really gets hurt!"

Frustrated, Sky threw down the butt of his cigarette and gave it a vicious stomp.

I can't keep acting like your bodyguard-you and Syd."

"But you're not-"

"Yes I am! I'm the only one who acts with any kind of damn logic! 'There goes Bridge and Syd, off to save the world again!'"

"Well yea, and like you're never a part of any of it, Sky!" Bridge said, wounded.

Sky ignored him.

"Every time you two decide to play good guys we get more and more of the attention of the damn Spacers," Sky emphasized the last word with a particularly spiteful hiss.

I mean Syd I can understand-she needs to be at the center of attention, get some feeling of being…something in the goddamn world. She eats up this 'Robin Hood' shit. What I don't understand is you Bridge."

Sky abruptly stopped his pacing to look Bridge square in the eye.

"You get these headaches and fevers and nightmares from your…your thing..all the time. You don't keep anything you steal, you don't want to fight back when the Spacers rough us up...you feel that its 'wrong' to protect yourself!"

Sky ran a hand through his long greasy hair in frustration.

"Tell me, why is any of this," Sky waved a head around the alley, "is worth this."

Sky reached over and gently cupped the back of Bridge's aching head. Bridge winced slightly, but also moved into the contact.

"Because." Bridge stared into Sky's angry, concerned blue eyes, "Because of this."

Bridge gestured to the alley.

'Cause of Syd, and you, and Kysh, and …even Piggy." Although Bridge somewhat frowned at the last name.

Those SPD cadets are good people, Sky. I can sense it."

"Good people don't let people like us starve on the streets, Bridge." Sky protested.

They don't arrest people for sleeping on park benches because it looks bad, they don't walk by without a second glance! They don't give a shit about people like you and me; they just sit in their little squad cars acting like a bunch of arrogant assholes."

"Sky" Bridge sighed, slumping downward.

Sky's emotions were blaring in a protective redish blue aura was simultaneously suffocating and comforting, a mixture Bridge was intimately familiar with after years of life on the streets with Sky.

"That's not fair. You don't really know that. Them. Know them." Bridge couldn't formulate a protest beyond the obvious. He really wanted to put his head down somewhere.

Sky shrugged. "A spacer is a spacer." He said simply.

"Bridge is right-that's not really fair, Sky,"

A new voice suddenly interrupted behind Sky and Bridge. It was Syd. She darted forward from her previously unseen position behind her friends and reached over to Bridge's sagging form to pluck the nearly extinguished and forgotten cigarette from Bridge's gloved fingers.

"You seem to forget, that those Spacers were hot!" Syd smirked as she attempted to redirect the argument.

Sky glared daggers.

"I didn't think the girl was your type, Sydney."

Syd's response was an equally rude hand gesture.

"She was pretty," Bridge picked up on the comment. "Her color was a pretty yellow, or at least… a pale sparkly yellow, almost butt-"

"Ugh, Bridge, don't mention food," Syd complained. "I'm so hungry. And exhausted."

Then, by some unexplained reminder, Syd's face brightened.

"Oh I almost forgot! Look, Bridgey, I got something just for you!" Syd reached into her jacket to reveal a bailed up piece of fabric for Bridge.

"Oh! New gloves!" Bridge exclaimed, unraveling a knitted pair. "Green too!" Bridge beamed. "Thanks Syd!"

"I saved him some socks too," Syd said to Sky. "These are for you."

Syd handed Sky a small cloth bundle. Sky started to nod his thanks when he suddenly froze, staring at a point just beyond Syd and Bridge. Alarmed, the two whirled around.

To find a tiny hunched over blue and green alien, dressed in rags approaching the trio. The alien moved with a slow faltering gait and made a request to the three of them in a soft mewing language.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have anything else to give out," Syd said apologetically. "Maybe tomorrow."

The alien mew-purred in a dejected tone, slumping down even further and began to make a slow turnaround with its head downcast. The scene broke Bridge's heart. He spread his left hand, still in its ripped glove, towards the alien and gave a tiny wave. Colors bombarded Bridge to the point where he nearly groaned out loud, yet he found his feet moving rapidly towards the alien.

"Wait!"

The alien turned to face Bridge.

"Here," Bridge said as his hands fumbled to remove his jacket and drape it across the shoulders of the alien. Bridge smiled as the figure purred in thanks and moved with a slightly faster step back towards the other end of the alley.

Then he turned back towards his friends-only to find himself caught in a set of twin glares.

Ah oh.

"What?"

"Your jacket Bridge!" Syd moaned.

"She needed it!" Bridge protested softly. "For her son".

The ghost like image of color flashed again before Bridge's eyes; he closed his eyes tightly as if to push it further from his mind. He didn't mention that the colors around the alien were a mix of desperation and hopeless-that inky blackness swirled around her, indicating sickness and woe.

Bridge's headache was reaching epic proportions. He felt weak in the knees and cold.

Syd's eyes softened at the look of pain that was emanating from Bridge. Sky's on the other hand, were still filled with angry frustration.

"You can't save them, Bridge," Sky bluntly stated.

This is exactly what I was talking about! You can't even save yourself! How the hell are you supposed to stay alive when every homeless person in Newtech can just come up and take what little you already have!"

"Sky!" Syd roared. "You big jerk, leave him alone will ya, he's hurting!"

Sky ignored her.

"Look, the three of us, especially you," he pointed directly at Bridge, "are **freaks**. We should be focused on taking care of ourselves-leave the others to fight their own battles! Freaks aren't given a good life -we have to take what's ours and get ourselves out of this hellish nightmare!"

"Find something bigger."

Bridge didn't know why the words came out of his mouth, but as soon as they did they felt right, somehow. Something bigger than him, than Sky and Syd, a reason to keep going, a reason to be alive. A desperate wish. That felt right.

But Bridge also felt as though he could barely stand and he leaned into Syd unsteadily, just as a part of him inwardly marveled at the strange prophetic feelings he had been feeling the entire day.

Sky made a strange strangled sound that was half-swallowed rage, half emotional outcry.

"You guys make me sick."

Sky spat out, abruptly turning to stomp out of the alley into the busy street.

Neither Bridge nor Syd moved to follow him. They stood huddled together, watching the distance between them and Sky widen, silently watching the gust of wind caused by the wake of Sky's strides move the litter from the alley into a delicate dance, hypnotically drifting paper upwards and then down again towards the hard ground.

* * *

**II.**

The early afternoon sun and the relatively empty streets of Newtech marched quickly into evening coolness and frantic rush hour-Bridge's least favorite time of day. The clogging smell of traffic, the fast paced movement of pedestrians and the bright aura colors of emotional workers leaving their offices and jobs typically left Bridge with a dull throb in his temples and an aching dryness in his throat. However the morning encounter with the SPD officers combined with the draining fight with Sky had mutated Bridge's daily pains into a near paralysis in his neck and a severe stomach cramping.

After watching Sky disappear into the heart of the city, Syd had literally dragged Bridge back to their "home" in an abandoned warehouse by the east docks of Newtech Harbor. She had put him to bed in their nest of blankets and queen sized mildewing mattress-one of the few items not stolen by the trio but given to them by an admiring family of poor Triforians.

After cooing a few words of gentle encouragement, Syd had gone off to find food for the two of them and to run off some of her anger towards Sky. Bridge felt sad when Syd finally left, even though her anger filled misty aura hung in the air and stuck to Bridge's overloaded mind like a faint perfume.

In spending so much time with Syd and Sky, Bridge's mind had become used to their psychic auras. His mind had adapted to them so that they were like a constant background presence, like psychic white noise-unnoticeable so long as the two of them weren't extremely emotional. Syd, and especially Sky, were calming presences in a life which always entailed constant stimulus and no privacy-the downside was that Bridge hated to be alone, ever. So even with Syd angry at Sky, her lingering aura was a small comfort-a piece of Syd, however distressing, to sit at Bridge's sickbed.

Bridge fell asleep with pale red of Syd and the sounds of seagulls in his mind.

He slept in a dreamless exhaustion for most of the afternoon until Syd returned with a few cartons of Chinese food and a new pack of cigarettes-the sun had completely disappeared by then and the skyline that was visible in one of the many broken widows of the warehouse was aglow with neon brightness. The two ate in companionable silence, though their peace occasionally broken by a slight shiver from Bridge-from the cold or from his illness, Syd couldn't tell.

Dinner brought some color back into Bridge's face, enough so that the two were able to occupy themselves outside by the warehouse, investigating the docks and along the shoreline in the early evening hours. Both were in silent agreement about the day's events-that despite his blunt statements, Sky had a valid point concerning their latest escapade. It had been way too close.

At one point in the evening Bridge's keen eyes had zeroed in on a large blackish green bruise on Syd's shoulder blade; he also noted Syd's pace was more sedate, as if she was favoring sore muscles.

Still Bridge couldn't bring himself to say anything, his deja-vu feelings towards the SPD cadets had made him leery of forming any negative opinions about the two. After all, the five of them had simply been doing their jobs-all justified depending on the perspective.

But as to whose perspective was the correct one….well Bridge couldn't bring his wits together enough for find an answer he was comfortable with.

The increasing coldness coming off the shoreline eventually lured Syd and Bridge back to their bed in the warehouse, where Syd fell into a deep slumber, her arms wrapped around Bridge's waist and her head pillowed in his lap. Bridge sat up in the mattress leaning up against a wooden crate, while his gloved hands combed the softness of Syd's blond hair.

Bridge loved to watch Syd sleep; he enjoyed the feel of the rise and fall of her breath against him and the way in which sleep brought down all of Syd's barriers. She possessed an innocence that wasn't visible in the daytime and this tiny aspect of childishness softened the features in her face. At night Syd was a different person-she was almost a fairytale princess, trapped by some magical circumstances in an urban concrete forest-perhaps asleep because of a wicked spell, some wondrous, impossible magic.

The pretence of magic was helped by the shifting play of moonlight that shone from an old dusty skylight directly above the two teens. The moon lit upon Syd's hair in a way Bridge imagined fairy dust shone-or something else equally amazing.

It was…Syd was beautiful-not even Sky could deny that.

'Well, she's beautiful all the time' Bridge amended, 'but at night Syd is more…more…herself?'

Bridge pondered this train of thought, his hands momentarily stilled in Syd's hair. Was this truly Syd? Or was she a different person, somewhere, a person who was considered as beautiful as she was to him right now?

'Someplace different', Bridge thought, tightening his grip around Syd's slumbering form, 'would I be there too?' Would Sky?

It was childish-all of it. Foolish scattered thoughts, something Sky would certainty dismiss-in fact so would Syd if she were awake.

'But if she was awake, then the moonlight wouldn't be the same, the stars would be so much further away than they already are.'

Bridge drifted his gaze from Syd to the shifting interplay of clouds and moon, eyes moving as he searched for stars.

'So close and yet so distant.'

But Bridge wasn't sure this thought was entirely concerning the stars.

A soft bump from the darkness on the right side of Bridge made him jump, his thoughts slipping down into forgetfulness. Syd shifted in response to Bridge but appeared to remain asleep. Meanwhile a pale form now approached the two of them, stepping in wide strides towards the moonlight.

"Sky," Bridge murmured.

Sky held a brown paper bag in one hand and a small light from his other hand indicated a lit cigarette in the other. Bridge's heart sank as the implications of the brown bag reached him-what Sky had been up to the entire evening.

Yet Sky's steps appeared sure and he moved with his usual grace…Bridge wasn't sure what to expect.

Of the three of them, Bridge mused as Sky approached, Sky had the most complicated expectations for himself. He expected to be able to protect his friends against anything-as if his body was just an extension of the shields he created with his mind. Yet he was also equally protective of himself-showing weakness only in the most extreme circumstances and then only to Bridge and Syd.

Drinking was one of those slips of selfhood. Sky's mother had been an alcoholic-she had died from the drink and left Sky a homeless orphan. Sky rarely spoke of his mother and when he did it was filled with a hatred that made Bridge tremble. In contrast, Sky's opinion of his father was much higher-he had died protecting the innocent and was nothing like his grieving widow who found herself unable to cope with such a heroic loss.

Sky's anger towards SPD also sprung from his parents-his father had been a power ranger and Sky attributed his loss to the institution itself. Sky hatred for 'those damn Spacers' was a convoluted mix of personal loss and righteous indignation. That they had done nothing to help his drunken mother-or her son-and did little to stem the rising number of homeless in the city cemented Sky's feelings towards all SPD officers.

Yet he also, somehow, respected the rangers, whose overall presence was a mystery to all of Newtech's civilians. No one knew who the current rangers were, if they were humans or even robots-but they were still heroes and people like Bridge, Syd (and even Sky) looked up to them.

Bridge could understand Sky's anger to some extent-he was himself unsure of the feelings he had towards his birthparents, the couple who had given him up into foster care when he was too little to remember because he was…."a freak".

A freak, who bounced from one home to the next because kids and adults were all too intent on punishing the strange children. A child no one was willing to adopt or keep longer than a few months or a year at best.

A child who was completely and utterly alone.

It had been too much for him too.

If Syd remembered her biological parents or her separation from them she never said anything. She only possessed a deep hatred towards her own foster care family. She hadn't bounced in the system like Bridge but instead had an emotionally abusive relationship with her foster father. His fierce temper led a young desperate Syd to run away into the streets, eventually into the company of Bridge and Sky.

But Syd's anger always seemed to pale in comparison Sky's anger at his past. At times Sky was an unbearably righteous victim-and his drinking confused Bridge.

Bridge's musing was interrupted by Sky joining him and Syd on their bed. Bridge blinked hesitantly, disorientated as Sky placed a hand on his shoulder. Bridge turned to face his friend, noting only the lightest smell of alcohol on him-Sky had gone easy then.

"Shit,"

Sky suddenly cursed. Bridge frowned. "You're freezing." Sky explained as he shifted to throw an arm around Bridge's shoulder. Sky brought Bridge's head to rest against his chest and for a moment it was like any other evening, the three of them curled up together for warmth after a long day.

The though caused Bridge's breath to hitch in his chest and he buried his face against the fabric of Sky's ratty navy sweatshirt as Sky's hand moved in a comforting circle against his best friend's back.

'This is right', Bridge thought, 'and yet different'- a strange embrace in the moonlight.

Sky broke contact first, moving Bridge's head away from his chest and shifting his position so his arm curled around Bridge's middle and fingertips dipped into Syd's hair. His free hand, holding the brown bag ('where had the cig gone?' Bridge wondered) moved towards Bridge's face.

"You're still too cold," Sky commented softly.

Bridge rolled his eyes but Sky's stare was intense, full of concern. Reluctantly, Bridge allowed Sky to tip some of the bag's contents into this mouth. The sharp taste and sudden heat of the alcohol immediately made Bridge want to gag- he let out a sharp hacking cough and turned his head away in disgust. Distantly he heard Sky attempt to stifle a snicker at his friend's expense. Bridge rolled his eyes.

"Quit making the bed move."

Syd was awake, a muffled voice against Bridge's thigh. "You're something else, Sky. Bridge is a cheap date and you know it."

"Says the women currently in his lap."

Syd whacked Sky's leg softly and rolled off of Bridge to the tiny space on his right. She propped her self up with her arms and patted Bridge's leg sympathetically. As if in apology, Sky offered up the merger contents of the bottle to Syd, who expertly downed its remainder while still in a reclined position on the mattress.

"Yuck, that's disgusting Sky. Where the hell did you get this slop from? Piggy?"

"Sorry Princess," Sky said and made the moment even stranger by giving Syd a rare smile.

For a moment, no one had a response to it-but the moment was made less awkward simply by Sky's presence and his return to their "home". Syd smiled in response and shuffled closer so that she and Sky were tightly entwined around Bridge and each other.

"I still mean what I said though."

Bridge and Syd paused for a moment before letting out twin sighs.

"Good ol' Sky," Syd muttered.

Then louder; "Whatever. Lets just go to bed. I'm tired, and sore 'cause Little Miss Spacer gave me half a dozen new bruises-though prolly not as many as I gave her."

Sky snorted. "Plus" Syd tighter her grip on Bridge "Bridgey is still shaking."

"That's probably the booze."

"Erf."

Bridge replied, his head half buried in Sky's shoulder. With Sky home he felt himself finally relaxing, slipping easily into a drowsy state. Silence settled on the trio and Bridge soon felt Syd's breath fall back into a rhythmical pattern-she always managed to fall asleep faster than Bridge or Sky. Sleep beckoned Bridge his eyes began to close slowly, his body finally warm with the combined body heat of Sky and Syd and the heaviness of his slip of alcohol.

"Bridge."

Bridge felt the whisper against his forehead. Bridge attempted to open his eyes but they suddenly felt impossibly heavy-maybe the voice was just a dream? He saw color beneath his eyelids-a soft shimmering blue, reminding him of the iridescent moonlight that had shone against Syd's hair. The shade was apologetic and full of affection, a true color of blue. It presence was enough to slide Bridge off into sleep, even as Sky whispered something he didn't catch in his ear.

It didn't matter. Bridge knew.

* * *

**III.**

The trio awoke in the late morning of the next day and returned to business as usual-this included a breakfast run in which Syd distracted a local baker and Bridge and Sky made off with a loaf of fresh bread and some milk ("Non-fat" Bridge pouted). The events of the day before seemed to have completely left everyone's mind-until Sky suddenly disappeared after breakfast, giving Syd and Bridge strict instructions to meet him at a certain location in the "Alien Quarter" of Newtech.

Soon, Syd and Bridge found themselves alone again standing beside a white truck in an abandoned factory-Newtech City was full of them, thanks in part to a financial crisis in the early 2000's. Syd was slouched across the grill of the van while Bridge fidgeted excitedly beside her. The two were glaring at each other with intense looks of concentration and the tension was evident between them.

"Yes! 55 times in a row!" Bridge suddenly crowed.

He pumped his arms up into the air and made fake crowd cheering noises as he did an impromptu victory dance.

"Ok! I am officially bored to tears!" Syd pouted.

55 games of sticks and stones and Sky's still not back! What's taking loner boy so long-don't start!" Syd warned as Bridge opened his mouth to reply.

Bridge frowned and Syd, seeing the wounded look in Bridge's face, sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a tad annoyed that after yesterday's mess, Sky decided out of the blue to do another job today. I have bruises." Syd whined.

"So do I, and you don't hear me complaining" a sardonic voice boomed from behind.

"Argh!" Syd gasped, whirling around to see Sky. Syd then whipped back to Bridge,

"Warn me next time, psychic boy!" she yelled. Bridge pretended not to hear her.

"Anyways, Sydney," Sky continued, "I was late because I needed to pick up this" here Sky shook something draped across his arm and handed it to Bridge, "and these" he opened a clenched hand to reveal a set of keys.

"A coat!" Bridge exclaimed. "Sweet!"

"Car keys?" Syd wondered. She turned to give Sky a brilliant smile.

"You sir, are a softy."

Syd punctuated her statement by closing the distance between her and Sky and by delivering a swift kiss to Sky's cheek. Sky's face colored before he ducked his head and attempted to straighten his jacket.

"Yea..well..don't let it get out. Lets move people, we got a job to do."

"Sweet. I'm driving."

Syd started to head for the car, and before Sky could reply they were interrupted by a sudden jarring squeal.

"HELP ME!"

Sky, Syd and Bridge immediately dropped into fighting positions, with Sky assuming a protective stance in front of the other two. A frightened green alien suddenly came skidding across the expanse of the factory, nearly ramming into them in a state of panic.

"Take this!" the alien panted, thrusting a strange metal object behind Sky to a startled Bridge behind him.

"Don't let them have it!" The alien begged as Bridge hesitated to grab the object. Syd took advantage of Bridge's hesitation to intercept the object, moving to cover her startled friend.

"The future of the world depends on it! Hide it!" the green alien shouted, his gaze remaining locked on Bridge.

Bridge found himself nodding, immediately accepting the stranger's dire words as truth. The alien then broke his gaze and turned once to look behind him before suddenly darting away, in the opposite direction of the trio.

Bridge watched the figure dash off before turning his attention to the object in Syd's hands. He removed a glove and made a circle movement, immediately picking up on a strange sensation of color. He struggled to make some sense of their variance-there were colors of fear, desperation and anxiety along with a swirl of deep responsibility and panic-what did it mean? Bridge marveled.

Abruptly coming to his senses, Sky glanced at Syd and Bridge before leaning over to remove the metal object from Syd's possession. He turned it over a few times with an intense look of concentration on his face. After a moment's pause, Syd broke out in nervous laughter.

"Why do all the nuts of the world find you?" she questioned Bridge. Releasing the object from his look of intense scrutiny, Sky also chuckled at the comment

"Freaks attract freaks." Sky explained.

He lightly tossed the object to Bridge before turning to move towards the van.

Weirder stuff has happened to us. Lets go, Bridge."

"R..right."

Bridge nodded but remained frozen in the same spot, holding the metal close to his chest. 'Something is coming' Bridge thought. 'Finally, something to do with the three of us.'

All of Bridge's prophetic feelings in the past 24 hours seemed to return to Bridge with a sudden rush of brilliant clarity.

"Something bigger." Bridge whispered. 'Strange and wonderful.'

"Bridge!"

He smiled.

"Right. Ok. Lets go."

**THE END**

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**A/N II:** And this was all because I could not keep this image of Syd, Sky and Bridge together in a big bed out of my head (it's a lot cleaner than it sounds I swear…)

Next Chapter: Is much shorter. It's a stand alone AU of the episode "Robotpoloza" where there is an attempt to salvage something good out of a clip show.

Please Review, kthanxbye


	2. Chapter 2: Team

_Special thanks to all my readers and reviewers. _

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**Chapter 2: Team**

He moved quickly and efficiently though the labyrinthine corridors of Space Patrol Delta, passing startled cadets and officers without any awareness of his surroundings. His movements felt mechanical; he was headed to the Transportation Bay on the Ground Floor, Sector 2, Bay 2.

'Escalator, corridor, elevator, corridor.'

Bridge Carson mentally mapped his route in attempt to calm his own agitated state.

'Almost there. Corridor. Turn. Corridor.'

Once he had timed the entire route from the Command Center to his bike, approximately 5 minutes, 32 seconds walking by himself. Usually this route was done at faster speeds, running alongside his teammates as they moved towards the latest crime scene. But they weren't here now, so he idly wondered if he was breaking his own record.

His friends weren't behind him. No one was going to follow him. Again. Bridge mentally groaned to himself.

'Don't think about it. Almost there. Corridor, avoid technician…avoid plant and d-squad cadet, corridor…turn…ah…turn…Think of something else, Bridge! Turn…'

"_Where you going?"_ Without warning, Sky Tate's earlier question reverberated though his head.

"_Dunno. Just out."_ Bridge had replied. But that wasn't what he had wanted to say.

'Going out to fight the bad guys, without you. Because you still don't trust me. None of you do. None of you believe me. Again.'

Bridge's day had begun horribly and became increasingly worse as the day wore on. His precious (wonderful, blissful, silent) sleep was interrupted by one of the most intense dreams Bridge had ever experienced. He'd dreamt that the Rangers lost horribly to three giant robots that outmaneuvered and outgunned both the Delta Runner Megazord and the Omega Megazord. Ever though the appearance of the dream had been washed out, like a normal dreamscape, Bridge's movements and actions had felt just as though he was experiencing them in real life.

Bridge had felt every jolt and hit to his zord in his dream like a physical blow. At one point in his dream, Bridge remembered cracking his head against the dash of his zord; he'd woken up that morning sure that he had a bump on his head. Throughout the day his left arm and shoulder tingled with phantom pains, as though he really had been violently thrown into the bulkhead of his cockpit.

In addition to the physical pain, a barrage of emotions had appeared in his dream; fear, anger, terror-they were his emotions and his team. They were going to lose-they were facing the end. Then the dream had abruptly stopped and he had jolted awake, confused with a dull ache in his temples. It wasn't a normal dream…

"_Dream fighting sir. There was a Cyclops robot, one with a satellite on its head and one with two horns!" _

A premonition dream. What else could it be? Whenever he attempted to take a nap, the dream returned with the same violent intensity. He had reported his suspicions to Cruger and was nearly rebuked. He was saved by Kat reporting the attack of the space colony on Alpha Five by three robot invaders matching the description of his dream. Even then, Cruger appeared unconvinced…and then there was Kat. The only one of the team to believe him. Even then, her belief in him was motivated by fact and not by any intrinsic trust in Bridge.

But Commander Cruger and Kat weren't the ones who hurt Bridge. They were his superior officers and it was necessary that they question him. But his teammates…

Bridge's hands curled into two tight fists as he recalled his friends' dismissive reactions. He recalled Syd and Z's dry annoyed response to him, Syd rolling her eyes upwards .

And Z…her condescending expression hurt more than Syd. 'Lets just humor the crazy guy', her eyes seem to say. Its just Bridge rambling on as usual…

Then there was his roommate, Sky, wincing when Bridge explained his theory to Cruger. 'So I'm an embarrassment to you Sky?' Bridge mentally accused his friend. Nothing new there.

And Jack. Jack, the leader, the Red Ranger who Bridge had come to respect and admire…

"_Hello?" _Jack had reached over to knock his fist against Bridge's forehead.

"_Dream Robots? You've got to be kidding me."_

'Its not a joke, Jack.' Bridge addressed his absent leader. 'Why couldn't you trust me?'

The team's reaction especially hurt since it came just weeks after their grueling SWAT training with Sergeant Silverback.

"_We used to be a team!"_

"_We still are! Or at least, I still are!"_

But maybe he was the only one after all.

'The Fernovan bank robber. SOPHIE. Katana. No one was willing to trust me then-or when they did they made jokes about me!' Bridge brooded.

A part of Bridge knew that he was being unfair to his teammates-there were also plenty of times when they did seem to accept his civilian powers at face value and they trusted his powers more than anyone else had in his life.

But this latest rejection, on top of him being incredibly sleep deprived, physically sore and mentally drained left him at his breaking point. He was angry, frustrated and wildly determined to prove himself.

'Its just like the bank robber case!' Bridge thought to himself.

'Only without the shape shifting criminal and the bounty hunter…or the strange clues like the water on the ground or the balloons and-ah yea. I figured it out that time without Sky or Jack or Z or Syd. Or Sam or Shadow! I can do it again!'

So he was heading to his bike to take on the three aliens from his dream-but even as he rapidly approached the transportation bay, Bridge felt his heart drop into his stomach in dread.

'But if I dreamed that the Megazords couldn't defeat them and we lost…' Bridge's left arm began to throb again in the remembrance of pain.

Suddenly, he was facing two locked doors, alone in the lowest regions of the academy. Bridge mechanically imputed his security code and watched impassive, as the doors swung open on the massive garage.

The bay was eerily silent as Bridge entered and his eyes were forced to quickly adjust to the low lighting. As he rapidly approached the smallest of the Rangers' vehicles, he immediately noticed that there was something missing from the group. There was his green bike, sitting in its usual spot next to Jac-to the red bike…but where was his helmet?

"Looking for something?"

Bridge jumped at a voice directly behind him, just inches from his ear. He whirled around into a fighting position, even as his eyes registered…

Jack. Standing with Bridge's green helmet suspended from one finger by its wide brim, swinging back and forth in a low arch. The movement of the helmet was playful but Jack's face was serious; more solemn than Bridge could remember.

"Jack! And my helmet! Ah..thanks?" Bridge was overwhelmed.

Er I mean…What are you doing here?"

"More to the point, what are you doing here?"

The sharp rebuttal/question came from the right of Bridge. Startled, Bridge turned to see Sky and Z appear from out of the shadows. Unlike Jack, the look on Sky's face was one Bridge knew well-an appearance of self righteous anger, with a touch of concern in the arch of one elegant eyebrow. Z's expression was one of distress and maybe even remorse. She had a hard time meeting Bridge's eyes.

"Well...I work here-"

"Don't want that much detail Bridge." Sky interrupted. "You know what I mean."

"I…"

"Tell me you weren't about to take on three dangerous wanted criminals by yourself!"

Sky barked, interrogation style. His anger was visible even without Bridge's powers.

Tell us that you weren't planning on what accounts to a suicide mission to fight three criminals responsible for the decimation of an entire colony, a group of criminals who you repeatedly warned us were extremely dangerous and a group that beat us in your dreams multiple times?"

It was the most Bridge had heard Sky say in a while and its frank assessment had the green ranger visibly shaken.

"Ok. So you were going to go fight the robot criminals by yourself." Jack's voice brought the group's attention back to their leader. "For once I'll agree with Sky and state that it was a stupid idea. Actually, it was one of the most idiotic ideas you've ever come up with."

"Jack!" Z protested.

Anger flashed in Bridge's eyes, both at the accusation and the flippant tone of Jack's voice. But before Bridge could defend himself, a fourth voice abruptly entered the conversation.

"But we were pretty stupid too,"

Syd said appearing to the left of Bridge. She held in her hands Jack's red helmet. Behind her at the farthest distance from the team was Sam in his light form, unobtrusively hovering in the air.

"We were too quick to judge you, and all of us," Syd made a wide gesture from herself and Sam to the Sky, Jack and Z, "are very sorry."

Jack resumed control of the conversation.

"DC had a little chat with us. Turns out that after the last battle you spent two hours telling Kat everything about your dream so if it was a real premonition, SPD could be ready to defend against it."

"Even though you were clearly exhausted." Sky continued. "You put SPD first. That's highly admirable."

"You have to admit Bridge, that dream fighting…that seems a little hard to believe." Z reasoned. "But that doesn't mean we were right to throw out what you said in the way that we did."

Bridge carefully considered the tense faces of his friends in front of him. "How did you know where I was?"

"Your roommate's a pretty good detective." Z explained, relaxing slightly. "He contacted us the minute you left your room without explaining where you were going."

"And Sam followed you in his light form from Deck 4 all the way to the bay," Syd added.

"You seemed a little preoccupied," Sam noted from his position above the group. Bridge blushed slightly, remembering his rambling attempts at mapping his route.

"Plus, we figured you might try something like this." Syd stated. "We're all kind of famous for taking the stoic loner hero routine. At least the boys are. And Z."

"What! Hello? RIC and the bottles of green goo comes to mind, Princess." Z responded, incredulous. "What did I do?"

"Sam. And also that fight out in the woods with Morgana."

"Morgana wasn't my fault! Whatever, don't even start with me, Sky, or we'll be here all day, Mr. Lone Blue Ranger!"

"Seriously!"

Well yea, what about Syd, Ms. me me me…"

"-blah blah blah, Sky!"

"-At least I don't go preaching about SPD rules and then breaking them every other mission!"

"What?"

"Anyways!" Jack shouted over the other three to regain control of the conversation.

"The point is, Bridge, is that we're supposed to be a team-heck we were supposed to have gotten this all figured out when we were training with Silverback!"

Jack punctuated this statement by glaring at each of his bickering companions-luckily, the other three rangers had enough humility to look guilty. Syd gave Bridge a weak smile and a 'what can you do?' shoulder shrug.

"And as leader, I should have set an example for the rest of the team." Jack ignored the snort of disbelief from his 2IC.

"I should have listened to you…and… I shouldn't have been so hard on you this morning…and this afternoon…Look. I owe you another apology Bridge. I'm sorry."

Although Jack's voice sounded similar to his usual tone, a slight frown above his passionate brown eyes assured Bridge of the Red Ranger's sincerity. More than anyone else on the team, Jack was always quick to mock Bridge's abilities…yet he was also the one who offered the most sincere apology after Bridge proved T-Tops' innocence.

But Jack's sincerity didn't solve the fact that even after SWAT training, their team dynamics still needed a lot of work. The entire group seemed to pick up on this thought as the rangers fell into a thoughtful silence.

After a few moments inspiration seem to strike Z, and she leaned forward to address the group.

"Its like what Cruger said before we went off for SWAT training." Z's voice took on a deep tone.

" 'Until you learn to accept and embrace each other as teammates and as people, you won't be strong enough to defeat Grumm…or anyone else for that matter.'

In battle we seem to be ok on the team part. But our people skills…that could use a little work."

Sky nodded at Z's words. "Maybe that's why we lost in your dream, Bridge."

"Going off alone won't solve anything." Syd concluded.

Bridge thought for a long moment. When he had stomped out of his and Sky's dorm room without explaining to his roommate his feelings of frustration at the team, Bridge hadn't stopped to consider the potential danger of fighting alone.

'I could have been killed.' Bridge realized, 'Or put the team in danger because I didn't tell them where I was going…'

A cold chill went up and down Bridge's spine. In the back of his mind, Bridge also realized that in his intention to fight in anger he would have forgotten one of the cardinal rules of Rangerhood-never escalate a battle. Why had he forgotten that?

"Cruger's right. We're supposed to be a team." Bridge finally stated after a moment of reflection.

"I hate it when you guys stop listening to me. Yea, I mean I know I'm a little weird and everything…but sometimes you guys should just listen.

But I'm sorry too. I just realized that rushing off to battle without the team was stupid. I mean think of what Silverback would say! Or grunt. Or make those weird ape noises."

Bridge pursed his lips together in a comical attempt to copy the SWAT Sergeant's voice. "Ook ka ka!"

Syd giggled. "I think we get it Bridge."

"Oh ok," Bridge frowned. "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I should have just told you I was angry."

"You should be more assertive when you have something to say, Bridge." Jack reasoned.

"It is hard for us to wade through the rambling, Bridgey." Syd smiled.

"Take pity on your teammates once and a while!" Z joked.

"I still think you're a moron for trying to sneak off," Sky complained. "But its probably something I would have done. So no more loner missions. For all of us."

"No more being alone. I like that." Bridge beamed. His heart leaped at the sight of his teammates smiling at each other. But something still bugged him…oh of course!

"Ah guys, I hate to ruin the moment and everything, cause its really great to be feeling all …teamy again…but right now, those three weird aliens from my dream are at the west docks planning something…I'm not sure what, but its probably really bad like attacking the city with the huge robots like on Alpha five with great big miss-"

"BRIDGE!" The collected voices of the team echoed through the empty transport bay.

Jack smiled as he moved to grip the green ranger in a gentle headlock before handing Bridge's green helmet back.

"We get it Bridge. Time to go to work! You guys heard the man. Move out B squad!"

As he heard the revving of engines behind him, Bridge relaxed, positive that the outcome of the battle was going to be different this time, even without knowing how. All that mattered was that he had his team behind him, backing him in battle. He wasn't alone.

END

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**Next Chapter**: More angst, some Bridge/Z action and of course, some Buttery. 


	3. Chapter 3: Family

_Strange Distant Stars; a collection of AU stories about good ol' Bridge Carson. I owe a lot of gratitude to the people at #PRFIC, to my beta Wildforce and to my favorite Bridge/Z gal, Chounette. Some of this fic was inspired by the wonderful EvilSalmon1 and her great Bridge/Sky story, 'Green for Green' (/shameless plug). Thank you, everyone._

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**Family**

Tiny motes of fine white dust spiraled in the light of a slanted sunbeam, like speckled ballroom dancers in the morning air. He was captivated by their movement; particularly when the little dancers mingled enough to create a sparkling effect on the hair of the person sitting in front of him.

The light reflected in a way that created a myriad of colors that he could see even without his powers. There was mahogany, burnt sienna, sepia in the dark strains that lay across the neck, and even flickers of deep red and the faintest traces of vermillion. Colors of sun kissed hair, natural highlights bleached by the bright yellow sun, th—

"What are you doing?"

The annoyed voice of Z Delgado jolted Bridge Carson out of his intense mediation on colors, nearly causing him to drop his toast in surprise. Bridge blinked, momentarily disorientated and found himself staring down at Z's confused and slightly irritated face. Bridge quickly swallowed the bit of toast in his mouth to reply.

"Mmm, watching you read."

'And watching the colors of your hair dance,' Bridge mentally added. He wasn't that socially inept (or brave enough) to admit the full truth of his behavior, even it was innocent enough.

He sighed softly. The colors really were beautiful. They were normal colors, not the auras that Bridge perceived with his powers, making them all the more special to Bridge. 'Like the light refraction of a crystal, with the light streaming through the window in a-'

"I don't think I even want to ask you why you're watching me read," Z grumbled as she turned away from Bridge. "But could you at least do it without chomping on your food?"

'Chomping…?' Bridge's eyes widened as he rediscovered the piece of toast in his hand. 'Oh. Oops.'

"Toast. Want some? It's Buttery," Bridge offered apologetically.

Z turned to face him just in time to watch his fingers wiggle in their customary description of the 'buttery' word. Luckily for Bridge, the novelty of the strange hand gesture was enough to cause the emotions on Z's face shift from irritated to bemused.

"Buttery?" She asked as she mimicked Bridge's movements.

"Buttery," Bridge confirmed, with an enthusiastic nod. But before he could launch into the specific qualities of a well buttered toast, Syd suddenly appeared in the rec room doorway, making wide strides towards her roommate.

"Alright, where is he Z?"

"Jack? Sky…Cruger…Boom, Gruumm. Am I getting close?"

"Peanuts!"

Bridge frowned. "We're all out of peanuts, but I got some toast. Want some? It's buttery."

Syd pouted, "No! Peanuts! You know, Peanuts, the stuffed animal I've had since I was five?"

Z laughed, "You've only had that thing for a year?"

Ouch. Bridge winced and looked to his blond teammate. Syd had that look in her eyes that frightened Bridge…frightened Sky too, although he'd never admit it. Bridge could tell by the way Sky held himself that Syd could intimate him…

"Very funny. Now what did you do with him?"

"I didn't take your Peanuts. End of conversation."

Bridge stared at Z in bemusement. He couldn't understand why Z and Syd were still fighting—even Sky and Jack seemed to have reconciled some of their differences. Bridge knew that Syd was still upset about receiving a new roommate; she had told Bridge earlier that week that she couldn't stand Z's strange new habits and odd mannerisms.

But Z hadn't told Bridge anything…in fact Bridge had never seen Z in any lengthy conversation with anyone except for Jack, and--

"Bridge!"

Z interrupted Bridge's thoughts with an impatient shove.

"Ow…ah…yeah?"

"Syd ruined my concentration with her whining. I can't read anymore. Are you up for some lightball?"

'Wow, Z may not talk much but she really likes to play lightball' Bridge thought to himself. 'Too bad I suck at it.' Bridge looked around wide eyed. Syd was gone; he'd missed something. What was it? Oh well.

"Ahh…"

"Come on! I'll beat the pants off ya!"

"…sure?"

"Great, lets go!"

Z grabbed Bridge's gloved hand and pulled him off the couch, practically dragging him out of the room. Bridge followed behind her, unable to notice anything but the deep shine of her hair as it moved with her steps and fluttered in the air.

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Later that week, Bridge exited the Command Center at a sedate pace, rubbing his shoulders awkwardly. He watched as Jack, Sky and Syd moved ahead of him down the hallway to their quarters. It had been a long day of investigating missing persons, and fighting the gross alien, Rhinex. Plus there had been all the upgrades Bridge, Boom and Syd had done to R.I.C. The duties of being a Power Ranger, plus all the extra R.I.C. duties exhausted the young mechanical genius.

'I can't wait to go to home…maybe make some hot chocolate, some toast…maybe even French Toast! If I can figure out where Sky hid my portable self-heating skillet…maybe under his bed?'

"You look exhausted," a dry voice observed from Bridge's right side.

"Huh?" Bridge looked up from his internal musings. "Oh, hi Z."

"What's up, Bridge?"

"Thinking about making French Toast…only I don't know where Sky hid my skillet; I'm thinking its under his bed, beneath his SPD manuals and his baby blanket."

"Sky has a baby blanket?"

"Sure. Doesn't everyone? I mean everyone has to, otherwise what else do you wrap babies in? A towel? Actually, you do when you bathe a baby--"

"Never mind Bridge. I'll just make a note to mock Sky later," Z sighed. "I meant to talk to you about something else, anyways."

"Talk?" Bridge felt vaguely flustered. "Here?" He gestured to the empty hallway they were in.

"Well, lets walk to the Rec Room then," Z gestured down the hallway as she spoke.

"I was just thinking that it was really nice of you and Boom to do all that stuff on R.I.C. for Syd this past week," Z said as she walked staring straight ahead. "I thought someone ought to say that; I ah…I think she really appreciated it."

"Really?" Bridge brightened. "That's great, but you know Syd helped and everything. Besides it was for R.I.C. too. He's a part of the SPD family!"

"Yeah you mentioned that before. But R.I.C.'s just a robot, you know."

"Doesn't matter," Bridge said as he shook his head. "R.I.C.'s been around since before I was a cadet; before Syd and Sky even. He's been there since day one of training. I mean we grew up with him, ya know? He's as much a part of our lives as Cruger or Kat or Boom; like the family dog, only he's so much more you know? Part dog, part media player, part big honking gun--"

"Sounds like R.I.C. means a lot to all of you, then," Z mused. "Except maybe Sky."

"Naw, Sky likes R.I.C. Sky used to play with R.I.C. when we were in D-squad. Used to run laps with him, until R.I.C's servos got a little too rusted and old. Although, now days Sky's too busy to run with R.I.C. or anyone else," Bridge looked a bit miffed at this last thought.

"But its like I said. R.I.C. is family. Just like you and Jack!" Bridge happily concluded. He turned to his right expecting an answer and was confused to see no one beside him.

"Z?"

Bridge turned around and spotted Z several steps behind him, stopped in the middle of the corridor with a distant look in her eye.

"Z? Are you ok?"

"What? I—yeah. I'm fine Bridge," Z abruptly came back to herself. She ducked her head slightly at Bridge's concern. "I just got…distracted. Sorry."

"Distracted?"

"It's nothing."

"You sure? You're shaking, Z!" Bridge realized. "Do you wanna sit down or something?"

"I said I'm fine, Bridge!"

"You look pale."

"Bridge!"

"You should stand on your head."

"Bridge, quit it, I—What?"

"You should stand on your head. That's what I do when my mind's going a million different directions at once," Bridge said sympathetically. "Sometimes I get too many thoughts at once, ya know and its really really hard to concentrate on just one. It gets a little overwhelming. So I stand upside down and let gravity pull the thoughts to my head."

"Right."

"Really! I think it works because when all the blood is rushing to your head it makes you kinda dizzy and really makes you concentrate on specific things. At least it does for me."

"I--"

"I said something that bothered you," Bridge interrupted. "I kind of would like to know what."

"It's just…nothing, Bridge. You just surprised me, with your whole 'Jack and me are family' crap."

"Its not crap, Z. You are family."

"That's just ridiculous Bridge. You barely know me! Or Jack. We're just two criminals who were stupid enough to get caught and given a lucky break, that's all."

"Hey. That is so not true!" Bridge protested. "You're not stupid and SPD isn't just some 'lucky break'. Its means more to me than that. To all of us."

"Ah, look. I'm sorry," Z sighed. "I mean—of course it means a lot to you. You've spent your teenage years here, right."

"Just about, yeah."

"Well me and Jack? Spent our years on the streets. Five years, in and out of homes, shelters and clinic waiting rooms. We didn't have R.I.C. or Cruger; someone to watch out for us. Me and Jack, yeah, we're familia, I guess. But we are completely different from SPD."

"What makes you different from SPD?" Bridge countered. "I mean, yeah it's an organization of millions with departments and everything and there's just you and Jack. But I mean, SPD is supposed to stand for good things. Protecting the innocent. Pursuit of justice. To safeguard all beings, regardless of species, gender, sexuality, race, creed. Fight against oppression.

What were you and Jack doing? Protecting others by giving them things they needed. Clothes and blankets and food. So your methods needed a little work. That's ok, I mean cause you were doing the same things that me and Sky and Syd were trained to do. Protecting others. Its what we do now as Rangers."

"Wow Bridge," Z smirked, appearing completely in control once more. "That's quite a speech. I wonder why you don't talk this clearly at the breakfast table."

"You don't believe me," Bridge frowned and he tilted his head to one side. "Why?"

"Your view, your perspective…it's just so innocent. You know? Such perfect solider talk. Things are different in the real world."

"This is the real world. I don't understand why my perspective is innocent and not yours."

"Ha! I am not innocent!" Z scoffed. "You SPD Spacers are the ones who's got your heads in the clouds."

"There is nothing that can prove your perspective is any more valid than mine. Just because we had different childhoods, doesn't mean we're not compatible. A bank robber steals money at the same time a mother feeds her infant son. Someone dies at the same time someone else is born. I'm awake at the exact moment that someone else is sleeping. No one can say the world happens for them alone."

Z shook her head at Bridge's words. "I don't understand what you're talking about, Bridge."

"I'm saying that just because Syd grew up with a lot of money and had her parents her whole life, doesn't mean she isn't capable of understanding the basic parts of who you are. She doesn't need to understand the details to be your friend."

Z flinched slightly. "I doubt Syd wants to be my friend."

"She does. I mean she doesn't say that verbally. But if she really didn't want to be your friend, she wouldn't argue with you as much. Someone who completely dislikes someone doesn't even bother to fight. They're just…cold," Bridge's face took on a slightly haunted look with his statement. Z however didn't seem to notice.

"So by that logic, Sky must love Jack."

Z's sarcasm went over Bridge's head once more.

"Love? Like by love you mean care for, right?" Bridge paused. "Not yet. Sky hasn't allowed himself to think about Jack like that. He certainly cares about Jack. How Jack acts and what he does. But Sky's focus is more directed at himself right now, at how Jack angers him and affects him. Eventually he'll get tired of always thinking about how angry he is and he'll start to realize how he affects Jack too."

Z gave Bridge an odd stare. Bridge winced.

"What?"

"You're a crazy guy, you know that Bridge?"

"…ah…yeah."

"I don't see how any of this suddenly makes me and Jack 'family'."

"Well…I guess it depends on your perspective of family."

Bridge sighed loudly and slowly lowered himself to the ground, with his back against the wall. Z looked up and down the empty hallway before shrugging and sliding down the wall next to Bridge.

"Your definition of family, Bridge?"

"Ah..'s not really a definition, like a textbook, Webster type of definition. But I guess family is the people who are there to support you and be with you no matter what, in who you are and what you do and they are the people you look to for help."

"Isn't love a big part of family?"

"Sure. But I'm still not sure what type of love you mean. Mother's love? A husband's love? A love for a pet? Besides family is kind of also the definition of love. Because if you love someone, you're supportive of them and your mind is always with them, even if you're not physically there."

"Well, I have to kind of agree with you there. Love isn't just blood."

"That's pretty cool, Z, because most people assume family is the people you are related to, because that the official textbook definition, right? Family is who you're born to? But its more complicated that that because there are mothers who don't support their children and don't always make the right choices."

"So SPD is your family then?"

"Yes. Sky and Syd…they're like my brother and sister. They help me out in training, hang out with me and they're there when I need them. They're also the ones I turn to when I feel down or need company or just to fill up the silence or drown out the noise of…well…everything."

"That's how I feel about Jack."

Z pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, appearing deep in thought.

"When we were kids? Jack was the one who watched my back; taught me how to act in front of my social worker and when it was the right time to ditch my messed up foster parents and head out into the streets. And you know what? I watched his back too, made sure he never went overboard on his 'Robin Hood' crusade and helped him out when he got sick. Sometimes he was my only company and we'd just hang out and say nothing. Just stare out at the city lights, looking for stars."

"Sky and I would do that too, from our dorm room window. When we were a lot younger. Looking for distant stars and planets."

The two of them sat in silence. Z rested her head against her arms and closed her eyes and Bridge did his best not to notice her faint shivering. But finally, unable to sit and watch Z not cry, Bridge draped his left arm over her shoulder in an awkward movement. Z stiffened for a moment, but the emotional intensity of their conversation, on top of their already exhausting week, weakened Z's resolve. Instead of fighting, she allowed herself to lean into Bridge.

Bridge smiled over the top of Z's head and stared at her dark hair. The colors appeared different under florescent lights, but Bridge knew that they were the same colors he'd seen a week before in the sunlight.

"I can't believe no one's come into this hallway yet," Z finally observed, breaking the silence.

"It is after hours now. We were late getting out of the Command Center."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Ah well," Z paused, appearing torn between remaining seated or standing up. Standing up won. She moved Bridge's hand off her shoulder and rose, but kept a firm grip on his hand. Bridge stared at the petite hand for a moment before he also stood up.

"Z--"

"Bridge--"

The two paused for a moment and Bridge blushed under Z's tight scrutiny.

"Bridge, look, I…ah…I—do you want to go play some video games?" Z said, dropping Bridge's hand.

Bridge blinked. "Ahh…what?"

"Video games. You, me; rec room. No one's there."

"But its after hours. We'd be breaking, like, five SPD regulations."

"Six. Come on, that's what makes it fun."

Bridge felt thwarted. He was exhausted, sore and feeling extremely confused. He couldn't tell if his rambling discussion had lasting effects and he never managed to get his French toast like he wanted.

"Bridge?"

Bridge took a deep breath and smiled at Z.

"Yeah, sure. Why not."

After all, Bridge mused as they walked together, close enough so that their hands were nearly touching, it was nice to do things for family. Z may not have recognized Bridge as family yet, but Bridge hadFrom the moment Bridge met Z, he had been admiring her colors. He would just have to wait until Z stopped and looked at Bridge and do the same.

'Love is a definition of family,' Bridge repeated to himself.

Z was Bridge's family.

* * *

**Next Chapter:**Gruumm never did take advantage of the situation Bork presented him when he kidnapped the Green Ranger in the episode _Missing_. But what if he had? What would that mean for Bridge Carson? 


	4. Chapter 4: Lost

_Strange Distant Stars: Ten things that did not happen to Bridge Carson. In this chapter: what if the villains of SPD had been a little more cognizant of their nemeses? What if they knew all of SPD's weaknesses…and what if they actually took advantage of the situations that arose?_

_Warnings: A hint of slash—you can miss it (or ignore it) if you blink. Images of violence but nothing too bad (I hope)._

_Notes: AU from the episode Missing, spoilers for the end of the series.  
_

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**Chapter Four: Lost**

Emperor Gruumm, the ruler of over fifteen star systems and the terror of countless galaxies, sat in deep complementation on his spaceship, hovering above Earth. He sat in total silence, intently observing an image displayed on a screen in front of him. The image emitted no noise but showed a human male dressed in green pacing anxiously in what appeared to be a tiny cell block.

"So...an opportunity finally arises," Gruumm murmured. "When one of Cruger's precious Rangers is all alone and completely defenseless. Interesting."

"Sire."

Gruumm dismissed the image of the SPD Green Ranger with a wave of his hand.

"Who disturbs me?"

"Reporting as ordered, Sire," an orange head robot bowed submissively before Gruumm.

"Yes…" Gruumm turned to face his robotic general.

"Bork, that nefarious space criminal, has one of the Rangers trapped on Earth," Emperor Gruumm informed the orange head. "I have located his position."

The robot nodded. "I shall get him."

"No. Just make sure no one else gets to him," Gruumm smiled evilly. The orange head nodded and moved to leave.

"No…Wait!" Gruumm's shout brought his servant back.

"I…I have changed my mind," the Emperor's voice sounded slightly pained. "Why should I…Of course I am not questioning….but what can this boy mean to your plans…" Gruumm addressed the air above him with a wave of one of his boney hands.

"Your orders?" The orange robot questioned.

Gruumm ignored his subordinate.

"…Of course. I obey," Gruumm's eyes flashed once before he turned to the robot before him

"Bring me the Ranger. Now!"

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"Hang in there buddy. I'm gonna find you!"

Bridge Carson felt his heart lift at the determined tone in Jack Landor's voice. 'I know you will, Jack,' Bridge thought to himself as he heard the communication terminate. For the first time since he woke up from Bork's attack, Bridge allowed himself to relax.

"I feel better," Bridge said out loud to himself.

The tiny room he was trapped in was completely bare and covered in dirt and grime, with odd strains covering the walls at various angles. Yet it wasn't the condition of the room that bothered Bridge, but the utter lack of noise in the small room. He wasn't used to silence; Bridge couldn't even feel nearby presences with his psychic powers. That meant he was someplace removed from Newtech City…and from Jack. 'I have a feeling this could be a while,' Bridge mused.

"Well…" Bridge sighed. "Nothing else to do now but sit back and relax….take it easy…" Bridge leaned against one of the walls despondently. "Wait for Jack."

A sudden loud thud above Bridge startled him, causing him to stumble. He heard loud scrapping noises and the sound of digging above his head.

"Ah….that was fast," Bridge smiled. "Jack? Jack, I'm down here!"

A sudden explosion above Bridge shook the walls of the tiny cell, knocking Bridge to the floor. He heard before he felt part of the ceiling give way. A large cloud of dust quickly filled the room, completely obscuring his vision.

"Agh…maybe a…a little less guns next time, Jack," Bridge coughed as he got to his feet. "Not that I don't appreciate…guns….ah….Jack?" Bridge peered into the dust cloud. "Hello?"

Bridge heard a whirling mechanical sound just before a metal fist parted the dust to land a punch square in Bridge's midsection. Bridge cried out before falling to his knees. As he knelt catching his breath, another metallic arm moved to punch Bridge in the face; this time he was able to duck the blow and roll to his feet.

"Ah..I'm guessing you're not Jack," Bridge addressed the troop of Krybots now standing his cell.

"Seize him!"

Servos whirled and the Krybots beeped in compliance before rushing the Green Ranger.

Being weak from the previous attack by Bork and outnumbered in a tiny room, Bridge was quickly overtaken by the robotic soldiers. While trying to escape the grasp of one Krybot, Bridge felt two more seize him from behind and one of the robots kick Bridge's feet out from other him. In desperation, Bridge attempted to remove his communicator from his pocket while struggling with the robots pinning him to the floor of the cell. Just as the tiny morpher stumbled into his gloved hands, a heavy foot slammed against the side of Bridge's palm, causing the Green Ranger to cry out and the communicator to drop from his grasp.

"Jack's not coming," the orange head mocked before he crushed the communicator with his heel.

"Bring him to Gruumm!" was the last order Bridge heard before something hard was slammed against his head, knocking him unconscious.

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The first thing he became aware of was the sound of singing; horrible off key singing. He was lying on a hard metal surface, which clacked with the movement of footsteps.

_"Ring around with Cindy,_

_Around the beat-up Bridgey._

_Ashes! Ashes! The Ranger falls DOWN!"_

The last word of the song was shouted in Bridge's ear and he jolted to complete awareness. "Wha?"

"Oh goody! You're awake now!" A shill voice giggled. "I was wondering when you were gonna wake, sleepy-head."

Bridge groaned and sat up—and suddenly found himself face to face with

"Morgana!"

"Oh you remember me!" Morgana smiled. "No brain damage then. Rats."

"What…how do you know my name?" Bridge found himself asking as he remembered Morgana's song.

"Oh please. Just because Mr. One Horn is completely obsessed with Cruger, doesn't mean I don't know your name, silly," Morgana scoffed. "We know all about you," Morgana sing-songed.

"You…you do?"

"Yup. Including where you were born, who your roommate is, your psychic powers and your every weakness…even your strange fascination with toast."

"…"

"What? We villains get bored too, ya know." Morgana defended herself to the astonished Bridge.

"R..ight…Makes sense," Bridge said cautiously.

"Now I would invite you to a tea party with Cindy but Gruumm has ordered me to bring you to him as soon as you woke up," Morgana sighed and crossed her arms in anger. "I really had a nice dress for you to wear too! Oh well, it will have to wait I guess."

"Or you could, you know not…not bring me to Gruumm I mean not yet, cause I think I wouldn't mind the dress…much."

Bridge rambled, backing away from Morgana. He winced when he suddenly bumped into something large and metallic; the orange head robot from earlier who grabbed Bridge's arms and twisted them behind him into a tight hold.

"Hmm, yes the dress did match your eyes," Morgana smiled evilly. "Lots of lace with a pretty ribbon sash. You would just love the wig I got for you to go with it; makes you look a bit like your blond Sydney friend."

The orange head began to force march Bridge down the hallway.

"Oh I know!" Morgana called to Bridge's retreating form. "When you're done with Gruumm, I shall dress you up and take you to visit Sydney and Elizabeth…If you're still alive that is!"

Morgana's laughter echoed in Bridge's ears as he was dragged to another part of the ship.

A few rapid turns and twists in the ship and Bridge found himself being thrown into a dark red room that was illuminated by tiny pulsing lights that snaked like veins across the walls. Bridge squinted into the darkness, making out a dark figure sitting on a throne like chair in the center of the room. A figure he'd only actually encountered once before. Gruumm.

"We meet again, Green Ranger," Gruumm hissed from his seated position. "And I see nothing has changed since I last saw you."

"Ah…really? Cause the last time you saw me, I was morphed and on my bike which is very different from being unmorphed and slightly bruised…unless you have been spying on me, like Morgana," Bridge shuddered at the thought.

"Silence!" Gruumm jumped to his feet and slammed his iron staff into the ground. "I do not want to hear you speak, Green Ranger! If not for the order to spare your life, I would not stand to have you breathe in the same room as me!"

"…Ordered?" the question rolled out of Bridge's mouth before he could stop it. He winced and threw both gloved hands over his mouth.

Gruumm growled and pointed his staff dangerously at Bridge. "Why are you so special? I already have an SPD Green Ranger as my servant! We do not need another!" Gruumm addressed this last statement to the ceiling. "He is not necessary, my master."

'Another Green Ranger? Master?' Bridge mind was whirling.

"I could kill him. Send his body in pieces back to Cruger. Right now!" Gruumm pleaded to no one.

As if in response, the air in the room began to hum and Bridge began to feel a tingling sensation, almost like being accidentally electrocuted, in his brain. Bridge winced and backed away from Gruumm, who appeared to be more affected by the strange buzzing sensation.

"My lord…"

A sudden rush of psychic energy filled the room; something dark and evil. It was like being suddenly overwhelmed by a dark wave in a bottomless ocean and Bridge nearly fell to the floor in shook. In front of him, Gruumm screamed and looked like he was trapped in a state of either agony or ecstasy; Bridge couldn't tell.

One word seemed to pulse through the room.

'Mine.'

Then the electrifying presence vanished from the room, leaving Gruumm gasping on the throne.

"What…what is that?" Bridge gasped, clutching at his head as if to rub the memory of the horrible pressure out of his mind.

At Bridge's words, Gruumm suddenly came to life on the throne, sitting up and roaring something unintelligible to Bridge. Faster than the Ranger thought possible, Gruumm moved across the room and a heavy hand suddenly grabbed Bridge's neck and threw him up against the wall.

Bridge's gasp was silenced as he felt himself lifted off his feet and the air nearly crushed from his throat.

"Why?" Gruumm's voice was inches from Bridge's ear, a loud serpent hiss.

"What…does…he…want…with….you!" Glowing red eyes moved into Bridge's eyesight; the rest of the world seemed to gray as Bridge struggled in vain for oxygen.

"You're weak!" Gruumm's hand shook Bridge like a doll.

"Vile." Another shake.

"Pathetic."

"Human!"

Gruumm roared again, and suddenly Bridge found himself flying through the air and colliding with the wall on the other side of the room. Bridge screamed as he felt his arm snap under the pressure.

"See how weak it is! How…fragile humans are. How it bleeds!"

Bridge bit his lip against the sob building in his throat and struggled to sit up. As he lifted his head, he saw Gruumm standing in the center of the room, staring up at the ceiling.

"I would crush him if he were not yours, this tool of Cruger's! How I want him dead! You know that. You do not answer. You enjoy my rage! You do not answer!

...Fine. It is your will, my beloved. Still I am yours… Magnificence."

Gruumm reached out a bony hand as if to grasp at the air and then clenched it into a fist. He turned to Bridge with glowing eyes.

"You."

Bridge shook slightly as he attempted to pick himself off the floor.

"So weak. So very….pretty. Such bright blue eyes," Gruumm spoke in a mocking tone.

He strode over to Bridge and laughed when the Ranger scrambled with his back against the wall from the psychopath.

"A pretty little toy. Cruger's favorite perhaps? Huh, pretty Green Ranger? Perhaps that might explain my Master's desires for you.

Yes I see it. I see it clearly now. This changes nothing! So what if He has chosen another vessel! He has you, just like I have Cruger's wife! Just like we shall have everything!"

"I don't…I don't understand what you're talking about," Bridge said, struggling to stand. "But I'm not yours!"

Gruumm's eyes flashed. "Yes, quite right, Ranger. Not mine."

Gruumm raised his hand and suddenly Bridge felt himself lifting into the air. Bridge panicked and began to fail about, holding his bad arm to his chest. Gruumm stared up at Bridge, glaring at him with red eyes.

"His."

Bridge abruptly dropped towards the floor. He groaned, dazed, when Gruumm suddenly lifted him up like he weighed nothing. Gruumm slung him over his shoulder and strode out of the tiny room.

Morgana was waiting just outside the door. "Where are you taking him?"

"To the chamber."

"But no one is allowed in there!"

"Silence, woman!"

Bridge lifted his head to see Morgana's face pout as they went by.

"Ohhhh…and I so wanted to have tea with him first."

More dark corridors and strange pulsing lights blurred past Bridge as he and Gruumm moved deeper into the ship. The further they went the quieter the corridors became; even the slight hum of the ship seem to fade from Bridge's ears. A stagnant silence--not even the sound of Gruumm's breathing was audible.

In the dark and silent halls, Bridge began to feel the same electrifying pressure from before starting to build up inside his mind. The silence fed into the dark wave that threatened to drown him and just when Bridge thought his head might explode, he found himself being slammed back onto his feet in front of a large decorative door.

With lightening fast movements Gruumm had Bridge's hands pinned in his own. The sudden jolt to Bridge's broken forearm caused the Ranger to scream and tears to fall down his face. Bridge was so caught up in the pain that he barely felt Gruumm remove the leather gloves from his hands.

"Your master awaits, Ranger." Gruumm snarled.

"Not…master…."Bridge gasped as he swayed on his feet.

Gruumm snorted, and with a touch gentler than anything Bridge had felt from the Emperor previously, Gruumm guided Bridge to the door.

"He shall have you…" Gruumm whispered into Bridge's ear. "And he shall make you destroy every human being on this planet. Every living thing that moves shall turn to dust. Parents, friends, children; he will make you destroy every human that looks like you, that once felt like you, that once breathed like you. You shall be the harbinger of death to your entire planet."

Gruumm paused and raised one boney hand to wipe at the trail of tears that remained on Bridge's cheek. Bridge flinched at the strange cold touch and the utter lack of any warm emotion.

Then the heavy doors of the chamber creaked opened and with sudden ferocity Gruumm shoved Bridge into the room.

"Then, when you have destroyed everything that you once were, when you revile the very sight of yourself; your psychic powers, your body, your pretty pretty eyes….then and only then will you truly know Ommi as your master."

The heavy door slammed shut, hiding the dead Emperor from view and silencing Bridge's screams.

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_And if this story was too dark for you, I also uploaded a more humorous Z story to offset this chapter. /end shameless plug_

_The next chapter might take a while since I got bit by another plot bunny, which just won't leave me alone! Coming eventually, an AU story of the episode Recognition. _

"_Bridge knew that his relationship with Sky had started to flounder ever since Jack Landors joined SPD. Its almost like he was losing his best friend…." (Bridge/Sky)_


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